Chassepot Model 1866
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 795 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.63 kg
- Introduced
- 1866
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Chassepot Model 1866 is a French needle-fire, single-shot bolt-action service rifle designed by Antoine Alphonse Chassepot. Firing an 11mm combustible linen-and-paper cartridge ignited by a long firing pin, it improved on the Prussian Dreyse needle gun chiefly through a rubber obturator ring on the bolt head that sealed the breech against gas leakage. This gave the Chassepot a smaller, higher-velocity round with a flatter trajectory and far greater effective range. It was the standard French infantry rifle of the Franco-Prussian War, where it consistently outranged the German needle gun.
At the 1870 Battle of Mars-la-Tour the Chassepot's reach let French infantry punish advancing Prussians long before the Dreyse needle gun could reply, a humiliation that helped push Germany toward the metallic-cartridge Mauser Model 1871.
Many examples were later rebuilt to the metallic-cartridge Chassepot-Gras Model 1866/74 standard. The rubber breech seal was its decisive technical advantage over the Dreyse but degraded with heat and use.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- French State Arsenals
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- France
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1866 to 1874
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 795 mm
- Overall length
- 1310 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.63 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 1
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 410 m/s
- Effective range
- 1000 m
- Maximum range
- 1500 m
- Rate of fire
- 12 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Needle fire ignition
Breech loading
Combustible paper cartridge- Rubber obturator breech seal
- Improved gas seal over dreyse
Rear ladder sight
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,612 rifles | 4.63 kg | 3.50 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1310 mm | 1080 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 795 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,611 rifles | 1 | 5 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Chassepot Model 1866
How much does the Chassepot Model 1866 weigh?
The Chassepot Model 1866 weighs 4.63 kg (10.22 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Chassepot Model 1866?
The Chassepot Model 1866 is chambered in 11mm Chassepot.
How many rounds does the Chassepot Model 1866 hold?
The Chassepot Model 1866 holds 1 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Chassepot Model 1866?
The Chassepot Model 1866 is 1310 mm (51.6 in) long overall, with a 795 mm (31.3 in) barrel.
Who makes the Chassepot Model 1866?
The Chassepot Model 1866 is made by French State Arsenals (France). It was designed by Antoine Alphonse Chassepot.
When was the Chassepot Model 1866 introduced?
The Chassepot Model 1866 was introduced in 1866 and discontinued in 1874.
How does the Chassepot Model 1866 operate?
The Chassepot Model 1866 uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- French Army
- 1866
- Papal States
- 1868
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/chassepot-m1866' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "chassepot-m1866", "name": "Chassepot Model 1866", "manufacturer": { "id": "french-state-arsenals", "name": "French State Arsenals", "countryCode": "FR", "foundedYear": null, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "fbcec93f25f1944b7acc020ef174b35eccfe16e74e459374f11a1e727c11a6c4" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "FR", "year_introduced": 1866, "barrel_length_mm": 795, "weight_empty_g": 4635, "action_type": "bolt_action"}